PG reports Staat Might Start Next year!

December 22, 1999 by Still Mill

Today's PG article by Bouchette states that "Staat could well become their starting nose tackle next season

Staat Could Start at Nose Tackle in '00

Today's PG article by Bouchette states that "Staat could well become their starting nose tackle next season. Joel Steed, who has two years and $6 million left on his contract, will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee tomorrow. There remains doubt, even in Steed's mind, how effective he can be as a player with two bum knees."

If this weren't coming from Bouchette, I might chuckle and laugh it off and move on to other things. But Bouchette is viewd by the team as a respected, trusted Steeler beat-writer who typically is provided access to all of the "scoop" about the team and its players, etc. It's almost as if Bouchette works for the Steelers, not the PG.

The thought of Staat starting as a nose tackle is as laughable as, say, using Mike Tomczak as a wide receiver or Chris Conrad as an outside linebacker.

Staat has repeatedly and continually been BLOWN off the ball this season. Bam's 10-yard TD run was the epitome of this ineptitude, as Grunhard shoved Staat a good 6 feet away from his original spot and created a massive hole for Bam Bam to job thru for the TD.

Staat is NOT a nose tackle. He doesn't have the strength nor the squatty, fire-hydrant physique needed to play this position. At 6' 5", he's waaaay too tall to get the necessary leverage to play NT. Some folks laughed when I stated back in March that Witman is too tall to play FB at a high degree of effectiveness. (Obviously, that's been proven as fact. He is too tall.) Ditto for Staat. 6'5", 315 lbs. (which Bouhettte is proposing for his weight) is NOT the squatty physique needed to effectively play NT. Not even close.

On top of all of this, is that Staat flat-out bites the big pink salami. I wouldn't even consider this underachieving meathead to be a starter at DE next year, much less NT. His only apparent skill is his ability to change the color of his hair. Other than that, I question if this man even belongs on a 53-man roster.

And when ya think about it, Dumbahoe and Cowhead were MORONS for not getting a backup NT prior to the season to back up Fat Steed. Obviously, it's apparent that they were both enamored with using Jeremy as a backup NT, which is (and has proven to be) an outright farce. How any team employing the 3-4 defense could NOT have a NT --- even a drunk like Bill Johnson --- to back up at this critical position, is mind boggling.

It's going to be a long '00 season if Jeremy "The Useless" Staat is our starting NT.